The UK’s lockdown is to continue for the next three weeks after the Government extended it at the weekend. In maintaining social distancing and banning mass gatherings, it is hoped that the swell of COVID-19 will be stemmed and brought back more under control. Uncertainty reigns proud at the moment but that could all be clarified somewhat on Tuesday in news reported by BBC Sport.
All that is known about the restart of the current football season comes from the EFL’s Rick Parry who has said that no EFL member club is to train before May 16 and that the EFL envisage that all Football League programs would be completed in a condensed, 56-day period.
This glimpse of certainty is, realistically, all that clubs have had to go on that is concrete. Other than Parry’s May 16/56-day notes everything else is up-in-the-air and clouded with phrases such as ‘indefinite end’ or ‘working towards’.
However, the BBC report that UEFA will “provide an update” on plans to finish the season at their 55-member video conferenced meeting tomorrow. BBC Sport reports that UEFA “hopes to end the [current] campaign in August” although some doubt this will happen.
The report adds that UEFA has two groups with one specifically tasked at “assessing the fixture calendar” and then making specific proposals which, it is hoped, “will be presented by Mid-May at the latest.”
This deadline of sorts, which coincides with the EFL diktat on no training before May 16, is just the certainty that Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion will welcome. Both the Championship big-hitters have been slugging it out at the top of the table this season and entered the suspension of this season in 1st and 2nd place respectively.
There is definite blue sky between West Brom and Fulham with the Baggies having the comfort of a six-point cushion from their nearest challengers and the Whites, a single point ahead of West Brom, are seven points clear of the Cottagers in 3rd.
For Leeds and West Brom, the positions that they find themselves in is of the biggest importance in that promotion to the Premier League is worth £millions. What they will be looking for is for any uncertainty to be cleared away. Whether it’s the behind-closed-doors route, the training-May-16 and playing-June/July route or even the season-folded-promotion-gained route both the Whites and the Baggies will be looking for the same thing – certainty.
In as uncertain times as these are – that certainty could very well come out of UEFA’s meeting tomorrow.
